They Don't Know About Us
by BrokenAngel1753
Summary: Lavender "Ven" Hartley was finally supposed to be free of the dreaded Reaping Day to be able to just go home with her grandmother and just live out the rest of her days working in the mines like her father, and his father before him. She never imagined that she would be reaped for the 69th Hunger Games the fates however had a different plan. (Extended summary inside) AU Haymitch/OC
1. Reaping Day

**They Don't Know About Us**

Rated **M**

* * *

**Summary: **Lavender "Ven" Hartley was finally supposed to be free of the dreaded Reaping Day. She was finally supposed to be able to just go home with her grandmother and just live out the rest of her days working in the mines like her father, and his father before him. She never imagined that she would be reaped for the 69th Hunger Games; it seemed to be impossible her name was only in there seven times. But the fates had a different plan for her, one she would never have wished upon anyone. But she can only hope that her mentor Haymitch Abernathy can stay sober just long enough to help her, and that he can get her the much-needed sponsors to survive long enough. But what she wasn't expecting was connecting with her mentor, finding out that they had far more in common than they would ever care to admit.

_Eventual Haymitch/OC_

* * *

**Chapter One: Reaping Day**

* * *

Lavender found it almost painful to get out of bed, she hated Reaping Day. She had lost many of her friends over the years and even if it was her last time being potentially reaped, she was still scared as ever. She turned on her side with a tired yawn before sitting up and stretching her aching muscles.

"Lavender? Time to get up dear." Came the soft voice of her grandmother, Petunia Hartley was a kind woman who had suffered a lot of losses in her life, her daughter-in-law had died in childbirth along with what would have been her only grandson. Her husband had died of illness brought from years of working in the mines, her oldest son was reaped for the games when he was fifteen and her only daughter when she was twelve only a few years later. While her baby, and second son had died a few years ago in a cave in; in the mines. She was no stranger to loss, but that never diminished her inner light, she was what her husband had always called his light in the darkness.

Slowly dragging herself out of bed she walked into the small kitchen where her grandmother was making eggs, she must have traded some of her herbs in her garden for them.

"I ironed a dress for you and hung it on the washroom door for you. So get dressed first, the breakfast is nearly done." She said with a warm smile, Lavender could see the slight fear in her grandmother's eyes, the fear that this could be the year of either tragedy or the year of relief for what was left of the Hartley family. Walking towards the washroom she yawned again, she looked in the old washroom mirror and sighed. She had dark circles under her eyes and it was obvious how tired she was, and how working in the mines for almost a year had already taken its toll on her. One upside she supposed about Reaping Day was she didn't have to go into the mines today. After washing up she pulled on the short sleeve knee-length navy blue dress with off white polka dots that had hung on the door with a tired sigh. This was her last Reaping, if she made it without having her name called then she was free of the fear of ever being reaped. Stepping out of the washroom she walked into the small kitchen where her grandmother was standing in front of the window. She slowly walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her.

"Don't worry Nana, since I started working in the mines I haven't had to put my name in any more than needed. And after today we will never have to worry again." She whispered in her grandmother's ear as she turned to wrap her arms around her granddaughter.

"Here, let me fix your hair for you." Her grandmother said as she led her to sit down at the kitchen table, her grandmother put her hair in a simple but elegant side bun and pinned it with some clips. "There…" Her grandmother said pausing to look at her granddaughter for a moment.

"Don't worry, today will be just like every other reaping. Like I said I didn't put my name in for any tesserae. So my name is only in there seven times this year. I'll be fine." She said turning in her seat to look at her grandmother with a small smile.

"I hope so. Thankfully it's your last year in that damn bowl." Her eyes went wide at her grandmother's curse but she smiled none the less.

The walk to the Justice Building seemed far too quick than she was hoping; with a quick hug she told her grandmother once more everything was fine. After having checked in with the peacekeepers she walked towards her section. Before getting there a small boy from the Seam accidentally bumped into her. She looked down and smiled weakly, she recognized him as her neighbor Gale Hawthorn. This was only his second reaping and the poor boy was shaking like a leaf.

"Don't worry Gale; your name is only in there twice. How about after this you come with me to the bakery? I was planning on buying a small cake to celebrate my last reaping year." The small boy looked up with wide eyes and smiled before nodding, he was a sweet boy and she imagined he was what her younger brother would have been like if he had lived.

"Really? Can I bring Rory?" He asked, she smiled even more he was protective of his little brother and the two were often joined at the hip.

"You're whole family can come. How's that sound?" The little boy seemed to cheer up at that and ran off to his section with a quick wave. She silently hoped his name wouldn't be called. She stood in her section and looked up towards the stage. She bit back a groan at the sight of the District escort Olympia Luxor. Covered from her wig to her toes in white; even her skin had a painted white tone. She looked like a ghost in that get up. She wanted nothing more than to throw some coal dust at her so she wouldn't be so annoyingly Capitol.

"Hmm…do you think she is the ghost from the Capitol? Coming to haunt us all?" Whispered one of Lavender's former classmates Daphne, a few of the girls in her section giggled quietly.

"Welcome! Welcome! This year is the year of the 69th Hunger Games! Are you all as excited as I am? Now please contain your excitement for a few moments to hear a lovely word from our beloved President Snow!" Olympia said in her squeaky voice, Lavender let out an annoyed groan.

"_Excited_?And they claimed they're the _civilized_ ones and _beloved_ President Snow? I think she has lost her mind!" Lavender mumbled under her breath. A few more girls giggled softly. After the short film ended and Olympia began clapping and wiping away her tears. Her actions made many of the people roll their eyes.

"Now! Let us begin the reaping! Let us find out who our lucky tributes will be this year!" She reached her long white-painted talon like nails into the bowl for the girls with a blinding smile. "And the lucky lady this year is…" She opened the paper and cleared her throat.

"LAVENDER HARTLEY!" Lavender froze, she could have sworn Olympia had called out her name, but it had to be a mistake! Her name was only in there seven times! She heard a scream from the section where the families waited and quickly turned around, she saw her grandmother sobbing as she called out her name. "Lavender Hartley? Where are you dearie? Come, come! No need for being shy!" She felt herself beginning to shake in fear; it had to be a mistake!

"Ven! Go. They called you…" Daphne said giving her a nudge which made her stumble a bit. She felt like screaming, she felt like cry but most of all she wanted to run. She couldn't go to the games! She was supposed to finally be home free! She slowly walked through the crowd that parted like she was carrying a plague. She heard sobbing from the boys section and saw poor Gale calling out for her, the boy saw her as an older sister and was smart enough to realize she was most likely going to die. She slowly made her way to the stairs and hoped she could keep some dignity and not fall. Olympia gave her a wide smile and grabbed her arm with an unnecessary and annoy squeal of excitement.

"Now let's find out who the lucky boy will be this year! Congratulations…TOBIAS FLYNN!" She knew Tobias or Toby as he went by. They went to school together; his father was the tailor for District 12. She saw him slowly walk towards the stage with a blank face, except if you looked in his eyes you could see the fear. At Olympia's annoying persistence, they turned towards each other to shake hands.

Peacekeepers ushered her into the Justice Building before she could blink an eye they shoved her into a room with two wooden chairs. She let out a small sob when she saw her grandmother in the doorway. She was sobbing uncontrollably as she latched onto her granddaughter.

"Nana! This can't be happening!" She said with a sob, a Peacekeeper told them they only had two minutes.

"Lavender…I can't lose you! I've lost too many people!" Her grandmother said as she desperately tried to hold her closer than humanly possible. "Take this; I brought it in case...if you…were…." She handed Lavender a small river stone her father had given her as a child, it fit in the palm of her hand and had a hummingbird carved in it. He had given it to her after her mother died.

"Nana I promise I will try my hardest to come back to you. I love you Nana…" The Peacekeeper opened the door and told her time was up. She wasn't expecting anyone else but when the door opened she saw Gale who ran into the room. She quickly wiped away her tears and put on a blank face.

"VEN! They can't make you go!" He called out; she wrapped her arms around the boy and quickly ran her fingers through his hair.

"Promise me you'll be good. Don't cause your parents any trouble when I'm gone. And Gale keep an eye out for my Nana, just stop by every so often and see that she is alright. And no matter what don't ever lose hope." The Peacekeepers came in and pulled Gale away from her, the poor boy was calling out to her when the door closed this time she let the tears she was fighting fall, she felt her legs turn to jelly as she fell to her knees letting out a pained sob. This had to be a sick nightmare; she would wake up soon right? She held the small river stone until it left an imprint in her shaking palm, she couldn't stop shaking and she couldn't stop crying. When the Peacekeepers came they pulled her to her feet and practically dragged her to the vehicle that would take her to the train.

In the vehicle Olympia was smiling like the clueless Capitol idiot everyone thought she was.

"Oh dearie there is no reason to cry! It's an honor to compete in the Hunger Games! Just think of the clothes you will wear! The food you will eat! Such luxuries all at your fingertips!" She said with a grin as they boarded the train, at this point Lavender was beyond fed up, she was past pain and felt nothing but anger.

"SHUT UP! Don't you understand you idiot?! My chances of survival are damn near non-existent! While you sit there with you stupid wigs and _luxuries _I'm being put into the games and _slaughtered_ for _entertainment_! And my friends and family forced to watch and they will still _starve_ while you stuff your damn freakish mouths with all of your fancy foods! So sorry I fail to see where it is a fucking _honor_!" At this Haymitch Abernathy who was borderline comatose from his drinking sat up with a lopsided grin.

"A fighter! You might make it past the bloodbath sweetheart!" She suddenly felt all of her courage leave and she rushed towards the door labeled washroom and threw up what small amount of food she had in her stomach. Her head was pounding from her tears but that didn't stop her from letting out a frustrated scream. She slammed her head back onto the wall and brought her hands up to her face. Picturing her friends and grandmother she knew she had to stop crying, she had to think of how she would make it out of the games, she promised she would try her hardest to at least make it to the final four tributes. Standing up she turned on the water and splashed some cold water on her face before stepping out of the washroom.

"Ven? Hey I know it's probably not much but I swear I will do whatever it takes to get you home. I don't have much waiting for me, my parents…we know that my chances aren't the greatest. Besides that boy…the one who was screaming, he needs you. I have no one like that, and your grandmother she's lost too many people." Toby said as he looked at her from across his seat at the table. She gave him a weak smile as she sat down.

"I can't ask that of you." She said quietly, after letting go of some of her anger and anguish she went right back to being her shy yet nurturing self.

"As our mentor, how do you recommend we stay alive?" Toby asked as he took a small bite of a muffin that was on the table. Haymitch took another swig of his drink and lazily waved his hand in the air as if shooing away a fly.

"Umm…by not getting killed? That seems to work really well." He said before belching, Olympia huffed in disgust.

"Look I get it; you drown yourself in alcohol to forget. But could you at least pretend to care? Can you at least make an effort to help us? Sober up just until we either make it or we both die. I don't care I just don't want to be mentored by a guy who is drunk 24/7! I want to know that there is a possibility that I could make it past the bloodbath, make it longer than a day because my mentor did his job. That he sucked up enough to sponsors to keep me alive for just a little bit longer. I'm not asking you to make me a winner, I am asking you to make me at least keep some of my dignity!" Lavender said as she leaned forward in her chair making sure she held eye contact with Haymitch. "Now tell us what do you want us to do to get sponsors? You want us to be pitiful emotional wreaks? You want us to act like those Career Mutts? Just tell us please." Lavender said softly, she was starting to regret her screaming and crying now that her head was pounding.

"Fine, fell me about yourselves." Haymitch said with a bored sigh, he took one last swig of his drink before putting down the glass.

"There is not much to me. My Dad is the Tailor in the Merchant section. It's just me and my parents. Hobbies…well I like to read and draw I guess. Ven has a more interesting life. People love her too." Toby said as he took a sip of some juice.

"Boring, now what makes you special sweetheart?" Haymitch said with a yawn. When she tried to say nothing Toby cut her off.

"She is a Seam girl; it's just her and her grandmother. But she is like a second mother to half the kids in the district." Toby said with a smile.

"I just work in the mines. Nothing special, and that is an exaggeration." She said quietly, she hated being the center of attention.

"What about that boy, the one who was screaming your name when you were reaped?" She paused a moment to think about Gale, the poor boy who saw her as a friend. Besides his little brother he didn't have many friends.

"Gale, his name is Gale. And I used to watch him and his brother when his mother was working. To keep them out of trouble I mean." She sat there quietly finally deciding to eat something, she slowly reached for a cinnamon muffin. Haymitch sat still a moment he had a look on his face signaling that he was in deep thought.

"The Nurturer and…well we will work on you. If I'm going to be sober you two damn well make it past the bloodbath." Lavender and Toby looked at Haymitch then each other with a small smile and nod.

"Deal." Lavender said with a nod towards Haymitch, who just grunted.

* * *

**I hope you all like this, I've had this idea for a while now. I felt like Haymitch deserved a little love too, there is never enough for him! So naturally I decided on a Haymitch/OC story because dearies it is the world of FANFICTION! Oh and as for his appearance, I'm going for the movie version but keep in mind Haymitch was still a kid from the Seam! I guess to explain his blonde hair we will say his mother was from the Merchant section like Katniss and Prim's mother. **


	2. Hell on Heels

**AN: **So from this point on I'm just going to put Lavender's nickname "Ven" unless someone specifically calls her by her full name.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Hell on Heels**

* * *

Ven was staring out the window in a form of awe; she could see the beginnings of the Capitol district appearing in the window. Compared to District 12 it was massive, and even she couldn't deny its beauty. She felt like she was betraying her District for thinking for a moment that maybe life would have been easier if she was from Capitol, but then she realized if she had been from Capitol then she would be a completely different person. Had she been born in the Capitol she would most likely have been like Olympia, a girl who was willing to paint herself ridiculous colors, wearing wigs and not to mention the crazy clothes. She couldn't help but wonder, if she hadn't been born in District 12, would she still have been as nurturing and family oriented? Or would she have been heartless and selfish?

"Wow, it's pretty amazing isn't?" Ven jumped when she heard Toby beside her, she didn't realize how deep in thought she had been.

"Yeah, sure I guess." Ven said trying to hide the fact that she had been caught off guard, something that could cost her, her life in the Games. Toby seemed to sense she wasn't in much of a talking mood and gave a slight nod and slipped away from her to leave her with her thoughts again. She noticed a reflection behind her and sighed, Haymitch was staring out the window from behind. It seemed like he hadn't noticed she was looking at him.

"It's really ugly there isn't? Once you get a closer look I mean." She said quietly, Haymitch took a step towards the window with a sigh. The two seemed to slip into a comfortable silence for a moment before speaking up.

"Behind the glam is…" He seemed to struggle for words to describe it.

"I'm not going to lie, I'm terrified. I don't want to die Haymitch…I'm still…I'm only eighteen. And the thought of killing someone…I don't want to become a monster…or a murderer. I just want to stay me, and to just continue my life working in the mines like my father and his father before him. And to maybe one day have a family…I just don't know what I want. All I know, is I don't want to die. I don't want to be another forgotten and nameless tribute. Yet, if I win at what cost is it? To be haunted by the Games. I've seen the Victors…I've seen what it's done to them and you. You may put on an act that it doesn't bother you…but your eyes, they don't lie. The pain…and the torture and the never-ending cycle where you have to go _back _every year and attempt to help new tributes live when you are still struggling yourself." He looked at her with slight surprise at her words yet at the same time he seemed almost relieved at her insight.

"And that is why you have potential. You see past the bullshit of the Games. I promise I will try to get you as many sponsors as possible. But you have to make them love you. Get them to eat out of the palm of your hand. And if you really mean what you said, don't let them change you." He said as the train pulled into the station. She could hear Capitol citizens screaming her name, and even a few were screaming that they _loved_ her. To be honest it disturbed her, these people shouldn't even know her name.

As she stepped off the train she felt a wave of nausea people were trying to grab her and they kept calling her name. Toby however was encouraging the attention, from the people calling his name. The two were then led towards a building labeled remake building, which made the two tributes from District 12 look at each other in confusion for a moment. Toby was then grabbed by what Ven assumed was a woman with bubble gum pink hair that went to her waist in tight ringlets and she herself was then grabbed by a man with dark hair and a dark purple velvet jacket and leather pants, he seemed relatively normal except for his almond-shaped cat eyes. She wanted to resist but figured that it would be pointless.

"Alright dearie strip down and put this on." The man said handing her a silk robe, Ven's eyes went wide the thought of stripping in front of a stranger was awkward enough, not to mention the one asking her to do so was a man.

"W-what?" She asked as she stared at the man who was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Honey, please you aren't my type. Which is why I'm here and not with your fellow tribute. The name is Augustus. And your stylist will be here soon, until then I need to get you prepped. Which means washing off all of that…what is that coal dust? And if needed waxing, let me tell you some of the past girls I could have sworn they were baboons with how much hair they had on their legs! Ew!" Ven gave him a weird look at his words and shook it off as Capitol being ignorant of how fashion is not important in the lower districts. With shaky hands she reached the buttons of her dress to change into the robe. It was at this moment Augustus realized how awkward it was for her.

"Tell you what; I'll step over here for a moment. The stuff to wash with is over there. When you are all done just call me. Best way to make it the so-called Capitol clean you should scrub at least a layer of skin off, at least that's what they do to the poor tributes from other districts." She was actually surprised by his offer and smiled at him with a relieved sigh. She looked at all the scented soap and shampoos and sighed, she decided on the sandalwood scent. After she scrubbed herself and rinsed she quickly put on the robe.

"U-um…Augustus? I'm finished?" He quickly came in with a smile and waved a hand towards a table signaling her to lie down. She felt exposed laying on the table as he inspected her muttering to himself.

"Hmm…it looks like you have actually heard of a razor. Makes my job easier, but I'll still do a touch up by waxing alright?" She just nodded wanting the process to be over. "So tell me what's it like living in District 12? It must have been nice having close family like you do there. I've never seen anything beyond Capitol. And I rarely see my family to be honest." He seemed genuinely curious. And she was a little surprised that he mentioned that to her.

"I suppose…" When he noticed she didn't feel like talking he gave her a sympathetic nod. After he had brushed out her hair for her he looked up at the door with a smile. A woman with short blonde hair and a hint of pink in it stood in the doorway.

"Gus, you better not be causing problems. By the way, thought you'd want to know Odair is here. If you hurry you might get a quick look. Now let me do my job and scram." Augustus let out a howl of laughter before walking towards the door and giving the woman a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Love you bitch! And don't worry you're in good hands here." Augustus said with a laugh and a wink towards Ven before leaving the room.

"Sorry about the spaz. I'm your stylist Nova. I'm supposed to make you desired by all of Capitol and Panem. But I don't want to just make you desirable I want you to be remembered for more than just your body like they do for other districts. We aren't going to put you in revealing clothes because anyone can look desirable that way. We are going to put you in clothes your grandmother won't kill me for. Now let's make those Career bitches jealous what do you say?" At this Ven was a little surprised, and found herself chuckling.

Nova had put Ven in a beautiful black gown with a tiered ruffled skirt; the bodice was a strapless corset like with a sweetheart neckline on it was hand sewn gold embellishments. She couldn't believe how beautiful she felt in the dress. She had on simple black heels that made her small 5'3 frame at least 5'6.

"Now for your hair, it won't be too fancy because you'll have a hat." Nova said with a smile as curled Ven's hair making it in perfect waves and pinned it in a side bun with some strands loose in the front. For her make-up she did a black and grey smoky eye with a peachy pink lip color and for her nails she painted them black. "Perfect, those Careers don't stand with getting sponsors to love them with you looking like that." Nova said with a smirk as she helped Ven up. She turned to hand her a miner's helmet with a wink." Ven raised her eyebrow at the helmet surely her stylist was joking right?

"You want me to wear a miner's helmet?" She asked hesitantly her stylist just chuckled.

"It has a strobe light, figured you guys from District 12 would have fun giving the crazies of Capitol and the Careers migraines." Ven outright laughed at that something told her she would get along really well with her stylist.

"I think I love your foul little mind." Ven said as the two began laughing even harder, she was now positive they could become great friends.

"Now let's go before your laughter tears wash away your makeup. " Nova said as she led Ven out to where the chariots were. Ven looked at the horses with wide eyes; they were far larger than she ever imagined them to be. She walked up to the horse for her district and tilted her head in curiosity as she reached a hand out to pet the large black horse.

"Strange aren't they?" She quickly spun around to see Haymitch drinking from a flask. "Don't worry it's just apple juice with carbonated water. I'm still sober." She gave him a smile. "And by the way what's with the helmet? The rest looks…you look…" Her smile grew as she laughed she watched him stumble for words.

"Thank you. And it has a strobe light to as my stylist said to give migraines to the Capitol crazies and the Careers." After a moment he grinned and let out a howl of laughter. She joined him in his laughter which caused several people to look over at them in confusion. Haymitch gave her a wink before helping her onto the chariot. She smiled at him as she attempted to hide her blush, even though he was nineteen years older than her she wasn't going to lie, Haymitch Abernathy was still an attractive man, haunted by the games but still handsome.

"Just remember to breathe, crazy fact about breathing it's been proven it helps keep you alive, at least through the damn parade. And don't worry unlike the poor District One tributes you have actual clothes on. From what I hear they are only covered with only rhinestones and sequins." Ven's eyes went wide before she gave an awkward laugh. With one last lopsided smile he nodded to Toby who walked over to them and climbed onto the chariot. Toby wore a suit that matched Ven's dress and he had a matching helmet too.

"Good luck you two, and make sure you give them one hell of a migraine." Haymitch said with a chuckle as he walked off.

"You ready for this?" Toby asked with a sigh, Ven could only shake her head. She hated large crowds and she was about to be thrown out into one of the largest crowds in all of Panem.

"Alright you two, when you are ready then hit the button on your helmets to turn on the light. Give 'em hell you two!" Nova said with a wink before the chariot began moving. The two couldn't help but gasp a little at the bright lights and the cheers of people from the Capitol it was overwhelming.

"I have an idea, they want a show? Let's give them a show." Toby said with a smile, he held out his hand for her to take and she smiled at him with a quick nod. Once they joined hands they both turned on their helmets. The bulb moved up towards the sky and immediately turned into a spot light, the spot light moved around grabbing attention from the people before flickering like a strobe light it moved around drawing the attention, of everyone who looked at them with curiosity. It even attracted the curiosity, of a few tributes.

"Nova is a genius!" Toby said with a laugh as he saw some of the Capitol citizens scream in excitement and reach out towards them as if they were the most valuable thing in all of Panem.

"Nova, have I told you that you are a genius yet tonight?" Haymitch asked with a smirk as he saw people immediately turn to look at his tributes completely ignoring the others.

"Nope, but please do continue to remind me Abernathy." The Stylist said with a laugh as she sipped her glass of whiskey. "I can't help it that I'm original and I don't dress tributes in the same costume every year. And hey, you've got company." She said nodding behind Haymitch. He turned to see a few men and women from Capitol with eager smiles.

"Mr. Abernathy? That exquisite female tribute of yours, I wish to sponsor her! I MUST!" Said a man with blue skin and hair, Haymitch gave a smile, but on the inside he wanted to hurl. He knew what men like him wanted with tributes; they weren't looking to sponsor but to hopefully spend the night with her. Many previous victors were sadly in that position. After a few more potential sponsors approached him and left he sighed, he hated dealing with the sponsors, having to beg them to notice his tributes and save them, and then damn them the life of a victor if by chance they survived the games.

"What's got you in la-la land Abernathy?" Haymitch tilted his head back in his seat and noticed a few of his fellow victors and sort of friends of his standing behind him, the one who spoke up was Finnick Odair, an eighteen year old who was the victor four years ago.

"Just dreaming about life away from Capitol, you know the grand life of the Victors." Haymitch said with a smirk, there was a booming laugh from behind him coming from Chaff one of Haymitch's drinking buddies, well he supposed it would be former really soon.

The Parade had finished and the Victors all headed to the elevators to meet up with their tributes. Ven immediately saw Haymitch and smiled before having Toby, help her walk over, she still wasn't used to heels and her feet were killing her.

"Not bad you two, not bad at all." Haymitch said as he offered an arm to Ven who was still having trouble in her heels. The three of them entered the elevator and were then joined by the two tributes from District 4 and their mentors Mags and Finnick Odair. The second the doors closed Ven bent down to take off her heels with a satisfied sigh, she threw them into the corner of the elevator much to the amusement, of the people in the elevator with them.

"What? You've never had to wear those damn things! If the games don't kill me then the high heels will." She said as she leaned against the back wall and slid to the floor with a yawn.

"Then I suppose I should be grateful I'm naturally tall?" Finnick Odair said with a flirtatious smile and wink, much to his surprise Ven just blinked at him once before shrugging.

"I suppose so. But I like being 5'3; it is average height and good enough for me." She said closing her eyes. She only opened them when she heard someone slide down onto the floor next to her, turning to her left she saw the boy from District 4 smiling at her.

"Hi, I'm Logan." He said with his own flirtatious smile, Ven just laughed in his face as she shook her head.

"What is with the guys in District 4 thinking they are a gift to all women? So just spare me the flirting please." Her response made Mags and Haymitch burst into a fit of laughter and Toby began to chuckle.

"Haymitch, I like her. I like her a lot." Finnick said with a grin. The elevator gave a ding and the tributes and mentors from District 4 walked out to their floor. She couldn't help but smile tonight was definitely an interesting night. She found herself humming an old song she remembered her mother singing to her as a child and smiled to herself, she remembered her mother used to always come up with crazy ideas she had about Capitol and what she thought it was like. If only her mother were here to see it, to tell Ven that she was going to be alright if only she was still alive for Ven to tell her all about her time in Capitol. When they reached their floor the elevator made a ding and the doors slid open, Toby immediately rushed out of the elevator to look around the penthouse. It was Haymitch who held out a hand to help her up, she wasn't expecting him to have much strength as he did so when he did pull her up she stumbled a bit into his arms. The two looked at each other a moment, she found him to be intoxicating, it seemed like hours not the few seconds it had been before Toby called out to her from the other room.

"VEN, YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS VIEW!" The two jumped apart as if they had been lit on fire. She quickly grabbed the shoes she had thrown on the floor and walked out of the elevator with a blush, she had to get a grip, in no way was it smart to fall for Haymitch Abernathy. For starters he was her mentor for the Hunger Games, and chances were she was going to die. And secondly it wasn't the brightest idea to be with a Victor not when Capitol practically owned them; she knew she could be used as a manipulation tool if the Capitol saw it fit.

She walked into the open spaced penthouse and looked around in awe she had a feeling that she could fit at least ten of her house in one room alone. She had to agree with Toby, the view of the Capitol from the penthouse was the most amazing thing she had seen.

* * *

**I hope you guys like this chapter, it's kind of just a filler and an introduction to Nova. Let me know if you want to see more of Augustus, I can keep having him make an appearance. And if you want more Finnick, Mags or Chaff let me know. **

**I will point out though if you want a Victor to make an appearance it has to be a Victor from BEFORE the 69th Hunger Games. So those with names at this point are: Mags, Woof, Lyme, Seeder, Beetee, Wiress, Blight, Chaff, Brutus, (obviously) Haymitch, Enobaria, Gloss, Cashmere and Finnick.**


	3. Training Sessions

**Chapter Three: Training Sessions**

* * *

Ven never thought she would be so confused with a bathroom layout, yet alone a shower in Capitol. There had to be a million buttons on the shower and she was too tired to try everyone. She let out a frustrated scream all she wanted was a hot shower. She decided to close her eyes and press a random button which when she opened her eyes dispensed a rose scented gel. She immediately gagged; she wasn't a fan of roses. After pressing at least ten other buttons she gave up she figured it would be best to ask someone for help. She quickly ran out of the bathroom to find someone who could help. She noticed an Avox in the corner of the room and smiled at the girl before approaching her.

"Umm…hi, I was wondering if you could help me. I don't know how…wow this is embarrassing but the shower? Could you maybe help?" She asked with an embarrassed laugh, the Avox nodded before following her to the bathroom. The Avox pointed to one of the buttons and then pointed to her nose.

"That controls the scents?" Ven asked the Avox girl nodded and pointed to Ven as if to ask what she wanted to the scent to be. "Umm…is there sandalwood or a gardenia scent?" The Avox girl once again nodded and pointed to a button before she acted out scrubbing her arm. Then the girl pointed to another button and then pointed at her hair. Ven smiled at the girl and thanked her for her help. The girl gave a small smile of her own. After her shower Ven changed into the outfit she was supposed to wear to training, she still had a few hours before training sessions started but she didn't want to have to change later. This year they had the training outfit consisted of a black short sleeve shirt with the district logo on the front, it was made from a stretchy material and the pants were a light grey capris.

"Hey, umm do you think we could just hang out? I mean I know you aren't supposed to but…I could really use a friend that I don't have to expect anything from." The girl looked around as if she was nervous, but she could also tell the girl wanted to hang out with someone too. Ven held up a finger and ran to her room grabbing a notepad and a pen she gave it to the girl with a smile. The girl took the notepad and pen with a smile of her own.

_Leto_, the girl wrote on the notepad before pointing to herself and then placing her index finger to her lips as if to shush her.

"You name is Leto? I'm Ven, nice to meet you Leto." She said with a smile.

A few hours went by and it was time for the first breakfast in Capitol, the first person to come down was Haymitch who looked as if he hadn't gotten any sleep at all.

"Morning Haymitch." Ven said with a warm smile, she felt bad that he couldn't get a decent night's sleep, then again what victor could? He looked at her and Leto with furrowed brows.

"This is Leto." Ven said, she noticed that Leto was rather nervous at the sight of Haymitch and she realized that technically Leto wasn't allowed to communicate with _anyone _especially a tribute. "Don't worry; I was just desperate to…communicate with someone. And she was the only one awake." Ven said with a nervous smile.

"Look it's against the rules, you two could get into serious trouble. No offense but she is an Avox for a reason, she pissed someone off in Capitol and was punished." Haymitch said with a sigh as he sat down.

"Yeah for speaking out against the games, which everyone in the districts does, so why can't a Capitol citizen do the same? Y'know what I don't care, if I'm to die in the arena I at least want to know that I had people to talk to that actually matter. Way I see it she is basically in the same situation." Ven said as she sat down at the table for breakfast which another Avox brought out.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, in either the games or out of them." Haymitch said with a sigh as he took a bite of some eggs. Before either of them could say something else both Olympia and Toby walked into the room and sat down.

"Alright look today is the first day of training. What are you two good at?" Haymitch asked looking at Ven and Toby. Ven couldn't really think of what exactly she was good at, she always saw herself as just average. And she didn't exactly know much about Toby other than he was from the Merchant Square and his father was the district tailor.

"Umm…I don't know? I mean my best quality is that I'm friendly, though I doubt that will help me." Ven said before looking at Toby wondering what he would say he was good at.

"How about your talent with first aid? I've seen you patch up _tons_ of people in the district. And it was you that set my friend's arm when he broke it. It's good as new and there is no sign he ever broke it." Toby said leaning forward, Ven's eyes went wide she never thought about when she patched people up she just did it and she sure as hell wasn't as good as he said.

"I'm not as good as Mrs. Everdeen; she is the best at first aid. My first aid is really simple…" She tried to make Toby realize she wasn't as good as he thought; she was average just plain average.

"_Modesty_, we both know you are being modest. It's _me_ that is talent-less. Unless the games this year are to find the best tailor, I'm screwed." Ven rolled her eyes, she wanted nothing more than to go home and just live her life. She took a sip of her glass of milk with a sigh.

"You two will not, I repeat will _not_ show them your talents. Make them think you are weak and pathetic. It's done wonders in the past for other tributes. Take the training sessions as a time for observing, and if you want to make, an alliance that's the time." Haymitch said as he stood up ready to lead them to the training session.

Once in the training center Ven looked around there were tributes gathered around to hear what the trainers had to say before they could branch out into the different stations.

"In two weeks, 23 of you will be dead. One of you will be alive. Who that is depends on how well you pay attention over the next four days, particularly to what I'm about to say. First, no fighting with the other tributes, you'll have plenty of time for that in the Arena. Second, not all of you will die in the bloodbath. So take the time to learn basic survival methods. These basic survival methods could save your life. There are four compulsory exercises, and then rest will be individual training. My advice is _again_, don't ignore the survival skills. Everybody wants to grab a sword, but most of you will die from natural causes: 10% from infection, 20% from dehydration. Exposure can kill as easily as a knife. I know many of you wish to just find a weapon and fight, but the best tactic is basic survival. Now you are free to find a station to train, but remember _no fighting_ with other tributes. And may the odds be ever in your favor!" The head of the trainers Atala said as she waved off the tributes.

Ven walked over to the knot tying station and looked at the screen; there were over a dozen different knots to learn or practice for those that already knew them. She was in the process of tying a slip knot a small girl with blonde hair slid up next to her quietly.

"Hi, I'm Lux. I'm from District 3. My mentors told me to make an alliance…and you seem less…" The girl looked around hesitantly and visibly shaking when she saw a girl from District 1, throw a knife at a dummy and hit it right where the heart would be if it were alive.

"I can't guarantee an alliance, with me can keep you alive. And to be honest I don't really plan on making any alliances." She said not bothering to look at the girl, the less people she got attached to the less painful the games would be. The girl nodded and slipped away to one of the other stations. Ven felt a little bad but she didn't want to get attached to anyone since they were going into the games.

"Wow that was kinda _harsh_ the poor girl just wanted an ally." Ven rolled her eyes at the voice it was Logan from District 4. She was getting rather annoyed by him constantly finding her. Once she finished her knot she walked away to avoid him, there was no way she would be around a Career any longer than absolutely necessary. Ven looked around to see all of the different training stations and silently observed everyone.

"I feel pathetic, I know Haymitch said to hide our talents…but we have to do _something_ right?" Toby said as he walked up to Ven.

"Maybe, if we just did basic survival skills." She said with a shrug. The two walked over to the fire-making station and got to work. "I'll watch the Careers and tributes up to District 6, you watch the rest. Learn their strengths and weaknesses. We will write them down when we get back. I've already noticed the male tribute from District 1 favors his right side; he has trouble with using his left side. He seems to stumble at the unfamiliarity. And the girl, she seems to have poor upper body strength she failed earlier with the tree climbing and ropes stations." Ven said never looking up from her task at making a fire.

"The guy from District 11 relies heavily on brute strength, he lacks in endurance and swiftness. The girl however is great at climbing she has been observing us for a while now from up above. The two from District 7 favor axes naturally, and seem to struggle with any other weapon. So if we can keep those from them we'd have an advantage. However I don't want to take chances with a pick-axe either, it would be similar enough to be lethal." Toby whispered so the girl from District 11 couldn't hear them. Ven gave a subtle nod as the first sparks of a fire appeared.

"Odair is most likely going to train his male tribute with a trident. So I think you should watch his games and learn it. Practice in private sessions. Gloss and Cashmere will most likely train their tributes with knives which was Cashmere's specialty. District 3 will most likely use electric traps, so keep an eye out for those." She said quietly, Toby sniffed once to let her know he heard her as he continued to look around discreetly. After the two both successfully made two fires each they moved to the next station. The station they chose was the edible plants and bugs which were side by side. After a few minutes at this station they heard music start to play, they turned around to see the boy from District 3 had hot-wired one of the stations and managed to make it play music like a radio. Many of the other tributes also were looking at the boy with curiosity others looked at him with annoyance.

"Sorry…the quiet was driving me insane." He said as he looked around a bit nervously. Everyone looked up to look at the Gamemakers, to their surprise the head Gamemaker Antigonus Archon was smiling.

"Why not leave the music playing? A little simple pleasure never hurt. And I do _love_ this song!" He said with a grin that made his blue eyes sparkle mischievously. Ven was one of the tributes to smile at the man; a few others went back to what they were doing after giving the boy from District 3 one last glare. It was a song Ven had heard in her room the night before; she had come to love the radio in her room that played music. She never had such a selection, of music before coming here, before in her district she would just sing songs known in the district alone. She soon found herself singing along softly to herself, not noticing that both Toby but the small girl from District 11 who had followed them from above were both listening to her sing.

"_Oh blame it on the radio, the radio; I blame it on the radio. I never thought that you would let me go. And still have hold through the audio, it always plays the wrong songs and I can't seem to turn off. Oh the radio, I thought the open road would, Drive you outta my mind. They're telling our story in every line, I can't stop. I know it's wrong. I turn it up and sing along, I'll never get over you. You're ringing out in every tune_" She sang with a smile as she worked, she loved to sing when she worked it made it go by quicker.

"You have a beautiful voice." Ven jumped a little before looking up noticing the girl had followed. The small girl had unruly curly hair and dark brown eyes that shone with an innocence that did not belong in the games. Ven remembered that the girl was only 13. When she watched the reruns of the Reaping she remembered this small girl had several younger siblings who cried for her.

"Thank you." She said quietly as she quickly looked back down at her work, she reminded herself not to get close to anyone. She was already in too deep forming a friendship with Toby. A buzzer went off signaling that the train sessions were finished for the day, Ven stood up and helped Toby as they made their way back to the elevator. The doors opened and Haymitch was waiting for them with a blank face once again District 4 was in the elevator with them along with the two from District 3. Ven looked at the mentors and noticed Finnick Odair wasn't there today it was only Mags. She then looked at the two mentors for District 3, Beetee Latier from the 35th Games and Wiress from the 38th Games. The two were known for their skills with electricity meaning their tributes were most likely trained in that as well.

Even though Ven hadn't done much during training it was overwhelming, the training center just made the, reality of being a tribute sink in much more. Toby seemed to agree and often stared off into nothingness as he wrote down his observations for the first day.

"Which games do you want to watch first?" Toby asked as he looked at the recordings permanently saved for future tributes.

"I know Mags from District 4 could make fishhooks out of anything and lived off of non-poisonous nuts. And everyone knows how Odair won his games. As for Cashmere of District 1 like I mentioned before she was skilled with knives. I pretty much have seen the all but…" She paused and Toby understood, the only games, she wasn't familiar with was Haymitch's games. The two looked at each other and realized that neither of them had actually watched the 50th Hunger Games. They knew about the others from stories and the more recent ones they knew of from watching them personally. But how their mentor won was somewhat of a mystery to them.

"Shouldn't we see if it's alright with him to watch his games? I mean what if he doesn't want us to see it?" Ven asked hesitantly as she watched Toby aim the remote towards the screen about to put the games on.

"He'd want us to prepare for the games wouldn't he?" Ven couldn't help but feel awkward, sure he would want them to prepare but she didn't know if he'd want them to watch _his _games. Toby had against Ven's protests put on the games which started with the reaping, the year Haymitch was reaped had been a Quarter Quell and that year _four_ tributes from each district had been reaped. She felt her heartbreak when a girl named Maysilee Donner was reaped. The blonde girl was the sister of the mayor's wife. She remembered hearing about the poor girl who would never return.

When Haymitch was called a younger boy called out in terror much like Gale had for her, she realized that it had to be Haymitch's younger brother. But the most heart retching scream came from his mother, she couldn't contain her screams as she fell to the ground sobbing. She noticed there was a girl in the sixteen-year olds' section crying she assumed it had to be a girlfriend or a friend. Ven couldn't help but stare at the younger version of her mentor, he was tall and slender but he was very attractive. His hair was a bit darker, shorter too and it was a bit messy, but it suited him just fine just like his stubble that was just starting to grow. His eyes were the same blue. However his eyes seemed to have a mischievous twinkle even when he was frowning, instead of a dull and haunted look that they had now.

The screen then skipped to the parade where Haymitch was dressed as a miner and the girl Maysilee was dressed as what Ven assumed to be a canary. The screen then skipped to the interviews, Maysilee was friendly and had an aura of innocence. Haymitch however came off as almost a troublemaker.

"So Mr. Abernathy, what do you think about the games having twice as many tributes this year?" Caesar Flickerman asked. Haymitch was resting one arm on the back of the chair he sat in and had his right foot resting on his left knee. He scratched his nose with his other hand as he gave a sarcastic laugh.

"I don't see much of a difference, they are going to be just as stupid." He said with a smirk.

"How did you feel when your name was called as one of the male tributes?" Caesar asked this time leaning towards Haymitch a bit.

"I felt like _shit_. My name was called how was I _supposed_ to feel, but I guess I'll just have to deal with it won't I?" He said making his mischievous eyes sparkle, he threw a smirk to the audience who laughed.

"Tell me about yourself, I'm sure Panem is _dying_ to know more about you!" The interviewer said with a toothy grin.

"Oh wow, I didn't realize Panem was competing in the games this year too. Sure is gonna be crowed in the arena! But hmm let's see my name is obviously Haymitch Abernathy, I'm sixteen and oh I'm from District 12. I like long walks in the Seam...what more can I say?" The audience all laughed again at his smartass responses. His personality was the kind that could get anyone to love him; he was alluring and could work the audience while still hiding what he was really thinking.

The screen once again changed to a different scene, this time it was the arena. During the bloodbath many tributes were in awe of the beauty of the arena and were too stunned to get off of their pedestals early, Haymitch however used this to his advantage and managed to grab both a knife and a backpack of his choosing. At some point he came across three Careers and he managed to take out two of them with his knife, but the last one got to him first and was about to slit his throat. Maysilee came running to his aid and killed the Career with a poisoned dart. It showed Haymitch making, an alliance with Maysilee after she saved him from the Career. After it got down to the final five the two went their separate ways.

Haymitch had kicked a pebble off the edge of the cliff he stood on and it bounced back, he realized that there was a force field. He threw the pebble this time and once again it bounced off and landed where he found it. He laughed at his discovery, pleased that he had found out about the force field. Something told Ven that it whatever was going to happen next would not be a pleasant, she was right when she heard Maysilee scream as she was attacked by large candy-pink birds. Ven felt sick as she jumped up from her seat.

"STOP! TURN IT OFF!" She screamed she couldn't watch as Haymitch held the dying girl's hand as she died. She wanted to run but she was frozen, she was too terrified to move it was like a train wreak and she wanted to claw her eyes out for watching.

"Ven…" Toby reached for her which made her scream as she shoved his hand away. Her screaming caught the attention, of present time's Haymitch who came running in only to freeze when he saw the games he played in on the screen, he looked a mix between furious, haunted and sympathetic to Ven who had fallen to her knees screaming as she covered her ears. He ran to the girl and held onto her shoulders.

"Turn that _damn_ thing _off_!" He snarled at Toby as he tried to calm Ven down, she couldn't stop sobbing.

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die! _Please_ don't let them kill me!" She said looking into her mentor's eyes, she cried even harder when she noticed he had unshed tears in his own eyes.

"Ven, sweetheart you need to calm down. It's alright…I promise you right now you are safe. And in the games I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe sweetheart. Just please calm down." He said as he wiped her tears, she was slowly calming down but she couldn't get the sight of the younger Haymitch comforting the dying Maysilee Donner. Each day that went by just made her even more terrified, how could the people of Capitol not see what they were doing to her and the other tributes was wrong and _beyond_ traumatic? She realized long ago however that to the Capitol they were nothing but a source of entertainment, she was willing to bet the second a citizen of the Capitol would be reaped they would cause a riot. Yet they expected the districts to bite their tongues or end up destroyed like District 13 was. And there was nothing fair about that at all, which is why she grew to hate the Capitol and its never-ending masquerade.

* * *

**Wow SEVEN pages and 3,977 words! And I'm posting the next chapter after my class today! I must seriously love you guys, which perhaps you could show the appreciation too by REVIEWING! I get tons of favorites and follows but not many reviews anymore, it wouldn't kill you to review I promise!**

_**Now for an FYI I have a polyvore collection for the characters and I need help with names and fates in the games. I don't want to focus too much on the games since I plan to make it more about AFTER the games, so they will be maybe one or two chapters only. There are some SPOILERS in the collection but not too big. If you could check it out and help I'd love you forever! **_**Just replace dot with a . and remove the spaces and make the CoM lower case.**

_**polyvore dot CoM / possible_69th_hunger_games / collection? id=3492849**_


	4. Come As You Are

**Chapter Four: Come As You Are**

* * *

It was the day of her private session with the Gamemakers, she was beyond nervous at this point. It was a known fact the by the time the lower districts went to demonstrate their strengths the Gamemakers had lost interest and usually did not pay them much attention. But she knew she had to prove that she was worth watching. She however also knew that she wasn't much of a fighter; she was always more of a healer type. Time seemed to of slowed down to almost a complete stop as she waited.

"Flynn, Tobias, District 12." The woman who was calling back the tributes for their private session called. Toby stood up and gave Ven one last smile before walking towards the entrance.

"Good luck Toby!" She called as he turned his head to give her a quick thank you. After a few more minutes she was finally called back. Toby gave her a quick good luck as she passed him. The Gamemakers appeared to be more interested in their food than her.

"Lavender Hartley…District 12…." She said as she looked up at them, none of them paid attention to her. She cleared her throat and tried again but louder. "LAVENDER HARTLEY, DISTRICT 12!" This time one of the Gamemakers heard her and turned to look at her.

"You have ten minutes to show us your skills." A man said with a wave of his hand. She looked at what they had set up for tributes and decided to show them her skills with first aid and knots. However the Gamemakers didn't seem at all entertained or interested in these skills. Looking at the weapons rack she noticed several weapons from knives to spears, and a bow to a trident. She had practiced a bit with each of them during her sessions with Haymitch but beyond twirling the trident she was horrible at it. She did however notice a pick-ax; she _did _know how to use one of those. She swung it at one of the dummies pretending it was a wall in the mines. With a loud _thunk_ the pick-ax embedded itself into the dummy. From its positioning and judging how deep it was she knew if the dummy was an actual person the blow would have been fatal. She pulled the pick-ax out with ease, there was a large gaping hole in the dummy's chest, and it was, indeed a fatal blow. She looked up at the Gamemakers when she heard a gasp; they were staring at her with wide eyes amazed that a girl of her size had such strength. She put the pick-ax back where she found it and gave them a nod as she thanked them for their time and turned to leave.

That night Ven was sitting on the couch with Toby waiting for the results of their scores. She was nervous if she got too poor a score she might not have many sponsors, yet with a high score she was a high priority target in the arena. The two tributes from District 1 both got nines; from District 2 they both got a ten. Ven zoned out for the rest of the tributes until they announced District 12.

"And for Tobias Flynn of District 12: a score of an eight! And for Lavender Hartley the female tribute…oh my, this is quite unexpected! A score of TEN! This is not a common feat for District 12, last time we had a score so high was during the Quell!" Caesar said with a huge grin, Ven's eyes went wide at her score everyone in the room cheered as they jumped to their feet.

"Not bad sweetheart, not bad at all!" Haymitch said with a lopsided grin, she knew that Caesar had, been talking about Haymitch for the previous score of a ten.

Today was the day of interviews and saying the Ven wasn't nervous would have been a tremendous lie. She was shaking like a leaf and with the gold platform heels Nova had her wear it could be dangerous. She tried to pull her dress down a bit further to cover more of her slender legs, but the form-fitting black dress refused to go much, further than her knee. She looked in her mirror and sighed it was a beautiful dress, but on her she felt uncomfortable, so unlike herself. The sleeveless dress reached just about her knees and was form-fitting with shimmering gold piping fashioned into a crossover design with a keyhole accent in the front of the bodice. Nova had given her a leather bracelet with gold ball like beads surrounding a crystal ball in the center and dangling earrings made with gun-metal and gold-plated with brass, with sun and moon symbols that dangled underneath pyrite. She also wore simple gold studs, since her first week Nova had convinced her to pierce her ears once more in her right ear lobe and twice more in her left ear lobe as well as her left cartilage, she was actually rather fond of the piercings for it was different and sometimes she rather enjoyed different and she figured she should have a little fun before the games in, case she didn't make it. Which is why she also secretly had gotten a tattoo with Nova, who was a horrible influence but she loved the woman none the less. Her tattoo was on her left side under her bra line, it read _Aut viam Inveniam Aut Facium_ which meant I shall either find a way or make one. Above and below the words were vines with leaves and subtle floral designs. When she got it Nova had told her that it would be their little secret which the two laughed about. If her grandmother ever saw it she was sure she would smack her upside her head and give her a lecture.

"Ven, you ready to get this over with?" Nova asked as she finished her hair and makeup. For her makeup Nova gave her gold eye shadow with black in the outer corners with full yet not too dramatic false lashes and a clear gloss on her lips. She then painted Ven's nails back and put two gold lines on making a t on each nail. Her hair was in a very simple but elegant twist with a few strands framing her face; she was barely recognizable from the girl who was usually covered from head to toe with coal from the mines she worked in. But she felt beautiful, she felt for one of the rare times in her life-like an actual woman and not just a miner.

"I suppose, let's just get this over with." She said with a sigh as she made her way out of her room. Toby was standing by the elevator door in a suit similar to hers with gold piping on the lapels of his jacket. It wasn't Toby that caught her attention, it was Haymitch who was looking at her as if she was the only person in the room, and she fought a blush as she slowly made her way towards the two. She was still not used to walking in heels and stumbled a bit; with reflexes she didn't know he still had Haymitch had made his way across the room in a heartbeat to catch her before she fell. She looked into his blue-grey eyes with her large doe like eyes before whispering a thank you.

"Still haven't mastered heels yet I see?" He whispered as he helped her stand, wrapping his arm into hers he slowly helped her walk to the elevator with a soft smile.

"Ven, remember sway your hips a bit. It makes walking in heels a little easier." Nova said with a wink, she had guessed that Ven had a slight crush on her mentor a few days ago and occasionally dropped hints to the girl much to her embarrassment.

"Nova, leave the poor girl alone! We are trying to pass her off as sexy, not some blushing little girl!" Augustus said with a laugh as he joined them in the elevator.

The elevator ride seemed to take forever and it didn't help that the Tributes from District 3, 4 and 11 had joined them. Ven hated being in the elevator with so many people it was claustrophobic and she somehow always managed to be the one crammed into the corner.

"Relax sweetheart, just focus on the music playing." Haymitch whispered when he noticed she was tightly gripping her river stone, she could feel the hummingbird carving leaving an imprint in her hand again. With as often as she held the stone she was beginning to think she would permanently have a hummingbird imprint on her hand. She took his advice and listened to the music playing and softly humming to herself to calm down, but much like a real hummingbird her heart was pounding a million beats a minute, at least it felt like that to her. When they finally reached the floor they were getting off at, she couldn't stop shaking, she was sure that the other tributes had observed her shaking like a leaf, but she couldn't help it. She was about to be interviewed not only in front of hundreds of people but broadcast-ed for all of Panem. Crowds always terrified her, it reminded her of the day her father died in the cave in, she had been trapped in the crowds and forced to hear her grandmother's screams of anguish, she couldn't find her escape that day. When everyone left she moved to walk out but Haymitch held her back, she looked at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"When he interviews you look for me, I'll be in the front row with the other victors. We've all had to do this; you can do it Ven. Caesar isn't going to hurt you, he will just ask you questions. Remember just how we practiced. You've got this sweetheart." He said as he gave her a quick hug before helping her walk over to the line of the waiting tributes.

"Jeez Haymitch, the poor girl is, terrified. What are you going for, for her Panem personality?" Finnick asked as he watched Ven who was still desperately clutching her river stone.

"At this point? I'm hoping we can just make it without her passing out. She isn't exactly a fan of crowds. The boy has no problem with them and should win them over no problem. I just hope they will fall in love with the little hummingbird." Finnick raised an eyebrow at the man and mouthed the word _hummingbird_. "She has a river stone with a hummingbird. She is very similar to a hummingbird, a small little thing with a heartbeat pounding much, faster than the rest of us." Haymitch said with a smirk as he gave Ven thumbs up, she just let out an anxious sigh.

She watched a few of the interviews and couldn't help but gag at the girl from District 1, she was playing the overly flirty girl and wore a dress much too short and low-cut, she might as well have not been wearing a dress. The boy from District 2 frightened her a bit he was tall and muscular with short yet wavy blonde hair. If looks could kill then his dark blue eyes would have been a deadly weapon, it was obvious he was a huge threat and was to be avoided at all times in the arena if possible. The girl Petra was just as intimidating and her stylist worked that to their advantage and put her in a tight, black leather backless mini-dress with long sleeves. She had platform heels with silver spikes and a spiked bracelet. Her makeup was dark and her dark hair was in a straight high pony tail. The tributes from three weren't very memorable in Ven's opinion. However Logan from District 4 like many of the males from the fishing district won the people over. He was flirtatious when needed and humorous when necessary. It was obvious that he was trained by Finnick Odair, a crowd favorite. The girl however was very soft-spoken and might as well have been invisible even with Caesar's help during the interview.

"Sad thing, that isn't an act. She really is that…quiet. She hasn't said a word since she was reaped. That was the first I ever heard her say!" Ven spun around and nearly fell in her heels; Logan gave her a flirtatious wink before walking away with a laugh. Ven slowly sat down and waited for her turn, she didn't even bother watching the other tributes it just made her even more nervous than before.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen this next tribute not only grabbed my attention but I'm sure she grabbed yours too! I mean that gown, it was amazing! And that helmet…I am still seeing spots but you know what I can't wait to see the beautiful tribute that caught my attention! Give it up for Miss Lavender Hartley of DISTRICT 12!" Ven's eyes widened as she heard her name, Toby helped her up as she slowly made her way to the stage desperately trying to not fall or shake too much. The second she stepped out onto the stage the crowd cheered and a few whistled, in appreciation making her skin crawl a little.

"Oh my look at that dress, your stylist has once again out done herself!" Caesar said as he looked at Ven with a smile. Ven couldn't help but stare a little at the man's neon green hair. As she made her way over she bit her lip nervously scanning the crowd for Haymitch, when she found him she smiled. "Now, Lavender, have a seat." He said with a huge grin showing off his blindingly white teeth.

"Please, call me Ven. Everyone else does." She said with a smile, she found if she pretended that Haymitch or her grandmother were sitting in Caesar's place it wasn't too bad, just as long as she didn't look out at the crowd too often.

"Ven, what a pretty nickname! Alright now Ven, your reaping…it seems you had two very upset people crying out for you. Was it your younger brother that tried to run to you?" Caesar asked as he rested his hand on her arm as if to be sympathetic.

"No, my little brother died in childbirth years ago along with my mother. That was Gale; he is my neighbor and friend. Although I suppose if my brother had lived he would be like Gale, full of innocence and a sense of adventure." She said honestly, Caesar gave her a soft smile and nod.

"And the woman was she your grandmother then?" He asked she gave a weak nod, she felt like crying knowing that her grandmother was all alone now.

"Yes, that was my Nana. We are all that's left of my family. My father…her son died in a cave in the mines. But it's a risk we have to take for being able to support our families." She said as she discreetly held onto her river stone that rested in her lap.

"Do you work in the mines?" He asked with a tilt of his head, she supposed it was the first time in a while that District 12 had a tribute that was actually over the age of sixteen.

"Yes, I've been, working in the mines for almost a year now." Ven looked towards the crowd once again searching for Haymitch, he was like an anchor keeping her from running away or crying, she felt as if she was absorbing his strength as odd as it sounded.

"It must be dreadful in the mines. How do you manage?" He asked, her response was an honest one that she wished she had thought twice about however.

"I tend to sing during my shift. It makes time go by quicker, and it's calming." At this response Caesar's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose in delight, she knew then that she had set her own trap.

"You sing? Could you sing for us now? I would love to hear! And I'm sure the rest of Panem would love to hear you too!" She bit her lip and looked at Haymitch before turning to look backstage at Toby who was giving her a, thumbs up and mouthing _sing_!

"No, I don't think…" She started only to be interrupted by the crowd chanting for her to sing for them, she felt her cheeks turning bright red. She never sang for people, when she did sing it was to herself so no one could actually hear! Before she could protest anymore Caesar was handing her a microphone with a grin, she tried to refuse but the chanting grew louder and louder, and she figured running from the stage wasn't a good idea. With a shaky hand she took the microphone and stood up. She took a few steps so she stood in the center of the stage and held the microphone up to her lips. She decided to sing a song her mother used to always sing, called _When I'm Gone_. Looking at Haymitch she gave a shaky smile and began to sing, focusing on him alone so she could contain her brave façade.

"_I've got my ticket for the long way 'round  
Two bottle whiskey for the way  
And I sure would like some sweet company  
And I'm leaving tomorrow. What d'you say?_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me by my hair_  
_You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh_  
_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me by my walk_  
_You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh_  
_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_I've got my ticket for the long way 'round_  
_The one with the prettiest of views_  
_It's got mountains, it's got rivers_  
_It's got sights to give you shivers_  
_But it sure would be prettier with you_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me by my walk_  
_You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh_  
_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me by my hair_  
_You're gonna miss me everywhere, oh_  
_You're sure gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_When I'm gone, when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_  
_You're gonna miss me by my walk_  
_You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh_  
_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_" When she finished singing the audience which had been silent burst into cheers and applause. She saw Haymitch give her a genuine smile and a, thumbs up mouthing _you've got this_.

"MY, MY THAT WAS _AMAZING_! What did you all think?!" Caesar said as he gave her a standing ovation, Ven noticed others in the audience were standing as well. She had never been so embarrassed in her life at this point; she never wanted to sing in front of a crowd like this again!

"Now why would you hide a voice like that? You have a superb singing voice!" Caesar said as he sat back down, Ven sat down shakily trying to fight back her blush but she knew it was hopeless.

"I never sang in front of an audience before…my heart is fluttering like a hummingbird's!" She said as she rested a hand on her pounding heart.

"Well, I am glad you sang for us Ven! I hope you will sing for us again…perhaps for a victory reunion?" Before she could respond the gong rang letting them know her time was up. She stood and took Caesar's hand who just kissed it before raising it in the air with a smile. "Give it up for our little hummingbird! Miss Ven Hartley! May the odds be ever in your favor, dear!" She gave a nod before walking backstage; she was greeted by Nova who was grinning and Toby who gave a nod and a quick hug to her before walking on stage for his own interview. When she made eye contact with Haymitch she let out a breath she had no idea she was holding. He held his arms open for her and out of pure instinct she ran into his arms, quickly grabbing onto his shoulders as he spun her around with a laugh.

"You did it sweetheart! You not only won them over but you _enchanted_ them!" She couldn't help but return his smile as he gently put her back on the ground, she however refused to let him go as she finally let the tears fall she had never been so relieved to be done. As Haymitch wiped away her tears with his calloused thumbs she slowly turned to see Toby's interview.

"So Toby, can you sing as well?" Caesar asked, Toby let out a laugh and shook his head.

"Depends, is everyone here deaf? If they are then yes I can sing just as well. If not then I'll spare you from _becoming_ deaf." The audience joined in on the laughter.

"So Toby, do you have a girl back home, one that you might have promised to return to?" Toby paused a moment and his smile faded a bit.

"It's kind of complicated. You see while there is a girl I like but, I made a promise to someone to make sure someone else comes back. You see there is this little boy who wants nothing more than to have his friend come home. And I'm just the son of a tailor. It's just me and my parents. But this someone has a grandmother who has lost too many people. And a little boy who idolizes her. I want to come home sure, but I also don't want to be selfish and break the heart of a woman who has lost more than anyone can imagine, nor of a little boy who deserves to keep the innocence he has a little bit longer. I don't want him to feel loss yet, if ever. So Caesar, no I don't have anyone to go back to. I said my goodbyes, and I made up my mind." The audience gave mixed responses, some burst into tears others simply said _aww_. Ven however stared at Toby with wide eyes from backstage.

"What is he doing?" She asked it was Nova who responded.

"Making you even more desirable honey, that boy is practically handing you his sponsors!" Ven just stared at Toby while a few more tears threatened to spill, she had no idea he promised her grandmother and Gale that he would get her home. When the gong rang and Toby walked off the stage with one last wave she finally stepped out of Haymitch's arms. She quickly ran to give Toby a hug and let out a sob.

"Why would you do that? You have a family to go back to!" She said between her sobs, Toby had started to cry himself as he held her.

"Because like I said I already said my goodbyes Ven. You deserve a happy life. Before you say I do too, just think of Gale. Would you want him to have to lose you? Would you want your grandmother to lose another family member, her _last_ family member? I can't do that to them, so let me do the least selfish thing I can and let me get you home alive." She just wanted to open her eyes and wake up from this nightmare.

That night Ven found, herself on the roof looking out at Capitol, from the roof it looked pretty but she had seen it up close and personal and hated it.

"Y'know from up here it's almost bearable being here…but then again we both know what bullshit that is." Ven turned to see Haymitch, she tried to give him a smile but couldn't, not when she knew this could be one of her last, nights alive.

"It was the force field…that's how I won. See I found out how they worked by complete accident. But I used it; I used the arena as my weapon. It was down to me and one of the girls from District 1, we were both severely injured. I managed to slice her eye out but she had hit me in the stomach with her axe. I ran to the force field holding my intestines in and she was right behind me. I had fallen to my knees and she threw her axe aiming for my head, but I dodged it and it bounced off and landed in her head. That's how I won." He said in almost a whisper as he slid to the ground with his back still resting on the wall behind him.

"What happened to, your fam-…" She paused a moment wondering if she should even bother finishing her question, but Haymitch answered her anyway.

"Two weeks after I was, crowned the victor…President Snow ordered the deaths of my mother, my younger brother and my girlfriend. Apparently he didn't like my stunt with the ax and the force field." At this point he didn't bother fighting back his tears he let them fall freely. Ven found her heart breaking at the sight of this grown man, he was thirty-five yet he was crying as if he was still a lost and broken child. She rose to her knees and threw her arms around the man and held him close, she did the only thing she could think of and that was comfort the broken man, she comforted him like her mother used to by holding him close and singing softly as she combed her fingers through his hair.

"_I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_  
_This pain is just too real_  
_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_[Chorus:]_  
_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_  
_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_  
_And I held your hand through all of these years_  
_But you still have all of me_

_You used to captivate me by your resonating light_  
_Now I'm bound by the life you left behind_  
_Your face—it haunts my once pleasant dreams_  
_Your voice—it chased away all the sanity in me_

_These wounds won't seem to heal_  
_This pain is just too real_  
_There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_[Chorus]_

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone_  
_But though you're still with me_  
_I've been alone all along_

_[Chorus]_

_...me, me, me._" She sang softly, she had once been told her voice was soothing but up until her interview earlier that day she never really sang for anyone besides her grandmother and Gale once when he had broken his arm and wouldn't stop crying. Haymitch seemed to have calmed a bit as he realized that he had broken down in front of her, it wasn't exactly helpful for a tribute to see their mentor lose it like he just had.

"Sorry…" He whispered as he tried to pull away, she simply shook her head and held him close.

"Don't ever apologize for crying, I understand. The games still haunt you. If you didn't lose it every once and awhile that's when I'd be worried." She said with a small smile. She realized at this moment things would be, different between them, they both had seen the other breakdown and cry yet they didn't run away like other people would. She actually believed that he would do whatever it took to get her sponsors. It was at this moment she came to the, realization that she was slowly falling in love with her mentor, and it terrified her almost as much as dying in the games.

* * *

**NINE pages and about 4,712 words. I hope you guys like it, but even if you don't let me know in a REVIEW!**

**FYI I do NOT own the songs Ven sings, they belong to Anna Kendrick (_Cups [When I'm Gone]) _and Evanescence (_My Immortal_) . **


End file.
